Carmody Groarke / Charles Rennie Mackintosh: Hill House - Not Forever

An affordable introduction to a Scottish modern masterpiece of residential design

Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s (1868-1928) residential masterpiece, Hill House was designed and built for the publisher Walter Blackie between 1902 and 1904. Mackintosh and his wife Margaret created everything from the building itself to the furniture and textiles within. A prominent example of the Modern Style (British Art Nouveau), this iconic building was suffering prolonged decay from more than a century of weather damage. London-based architectural practice Carmody Groarke has built an innovative stainless steel chainmail mesh known as The Box, to temporarily encase Hill House. This structure is intended to halt the decay of Hill House while maintaining access for visitors and providing time for the restoration of this gem in Scotland’s architectural heritage.